Hucknall aerodrome - Bader's visit

[2easyco 41]

75 years ago today, at the height of the Battle of Britain, Squadron Leader Douglas Bader flew into Hucknall to meet Air Vice Marshall Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of 12 Group Fighter Command.

His purpose was to propose the `Big Wing' tactic to oppose the Luftwaffe with large formations of fighter in the air at the same time. Sadly the airfield has recently ceased to exist and is currently a large housing estate under construction.

Many airshows took place at Hucknall from the 1930s on and I was fortunate to attend them 1950s/60s with many great aircraft and aerobatic teams including the RAF's Black Arrows and American jets. Also in December 1940 the PoW Franz con Werra tried to make his escape from Hucknall by stealing an aircraft but was caught - he was depicted in the film `The One That Got Away'.

[Smiffy49 590]

That's an interesting little piece 2easyco, thanks for posting it.

[DJ360 6,734]

I remember those airshows so well.

I lived on Southglade Road Bestwood Estate and back then you could easily see the airfield just beyond Bulwell on the other side of the Leen Valley.

Better views could be had by heading up the fields to what is now The Ridgeway on Top Valley. Of course back then there was no Top Valley or anything else much between Bestwood Estate and Bestwood Colliery. It was quite literally 'all fields'.

Closer views could be had from the golf course at Bulwell Hall Park and even closer still from a path that ran out of the park between the end of the Runway and some old slag heaps. Even when the shows weren't on, we used to sit on the slag heaps for hours hoping to be under a Vulcan or somesuch as it hopped over them before dropping onto the runway. There were some pretty amazing things flying around Hucknall in those days, including Lightnings, Vulcans, Javelins, Shackletons and all sorts of weird and wonderful flying test beds with odd engine configurations etc.

At the shows we regularly saw the Black Arrows in their Hunters, the Red Devils parachute team, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Lightnings, usually a flight of American F86 Sabres, , plus assorted other stuff such as Jet Provosts, Vampires and the like.

Great Memories.

Col

[tomlinson 879]

RAF Newton in the fifties were the airshows I remember best.

[firbeck 860]

Yes, the TA demonstrating their prowess while being 'attacked' by VERY low flying Vampires, thunderflashes going off all over the place, cordite smelling smoke making us all cough. The very superior Avon powered Canadair Sabres breaking the sound barrier over the airfield, none of this will ever happen anymore.
One lump in the throat moment yesterday at 2:00pm, a roar sent me rushing outside to witness the world's only Mk1 Blenheim, escorted closely by 3 Mk1 Spitfires nearly take my roof off as they thundered overhead, what a sight, that's one thing you never saw in them days and probably never expected in 50/60 years time from then.